The competition was fierce; fifteen incredibly bright students excelled at every test. The morning challenge included the neuroanatomy bell-ringer (2 minutes at each of 20 brain sections) and patient diagnosis (4 minutes with each of 10 patients). The afternoon was intense, with 50 rapid-fire multiple-choice questions, 15 high-challenge questions, and 25 short-answer questions. The top 2 competitors then battled for first place over 40 challenging oral questions and answers.

Competitors came from coast to coast: Victoria, Vancouver, Edmonton, Calgary, Saskatchewan, Winnipeg, London, Waterloo, Guelph, Hamilton, Toronto, Kingston, Ottawa, Montreal, and Newfoundland. These are the top students in their region – champions who have already won their local brain bee competitions. It was a pleasure to get to know all the students and their families. They met this weekend to engage in these challenging events, testing their knowledge of neuroscience and their skills at patient diagnosis and neuroanatomy. They are well on their way to becoming the next generation of neuroscientists!

Our 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place winners received trophies and cash prizes ($1500 for first place; $1000 second place; $500 third place). Our 2015 champion, Janson Kappen, takes home a beautiful travelling trophy to display at his high school for one year, and he will be given the opportunity to work in a neuroscience laboratory.